Posts related to 'council events'

Maroondah Forum for People with Disabilities and Carers - consultation and providing feedback

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 5th of August, 2008

Today’s forum for people with disabilities and carers provided an opportunity to discuss the feedback produced by the workshop that was held earlier this year and also to consult the participants on council’s new disability policy and action plan.

While current budgetary resources meant that the forum must remain at its current quarterly frequency, this will be reviewed early next year. Assuming that I am returned as a councillor after November’s elections, I will be advocating for the forums to be held on a bi-monthly frequency or for another working group to be established to exclusively examine strategic and advocacy issues. Either option will ensure a greater level of engagement for people with disabilities and ensure an improvement to the level of accessibility within Maroondah.

One of the major concerns from the feedback was the lack of publicity in regard to the forum, this has been rectified with council issuing media releases to publicise the forums and it being included on the council website. This will assist in ensuring that the community is aware of the forums and the opportunity to provide input and to inform council on accessibility issues. Terms of reference have been developed to provide direction for the forum and help improve communication and feedback between participants in the forum and council.

The guest speaker was from the Commonwealth Respite Centre who spoke about the programs that are available for carers and for people with disabilities in seeking respite or taking a break from their usual duties.

Today’s forum also included a workshop on council’s future Disability Policy and Action Plan. The policy, which is expected to be adopted in draft status at the next council meeting, will govern council’s approach to accessibility issues and its role as an advocate on behalf of the community. It is imperative that the views of people with disabilities and carers are taken into account so that council can be responsive to the needs of the community.

While the forum provided an additional opportunity for comment, people will be able to submit their thoughts on the policy once it reaches draft status. I encourage members of the community to take an interest in the policy as it will shape council’s position on accessibility.

One of the areas that requires feedback is in regard to the need for a Disability Advisory Committee. Councils such as Monash, Knox and Whitehorse all have committees which provide strategic advice to council in regard to accessibility issues. This differs from Maroondah’s forum, in that the focus is on strategic issues with representation from peak groups. The forum for people with disabilities and carers provides an opportunity for input on specific issues, while the committee could oversee the strategic direction on council’s approach to accessibility and supervise the implementation of the disability policy and action plan.

Such concepts must be considered as part of council’s approach to accessibility to ensure that Maroondah strives to create an inclusive municipality.

The next forum for people with disabilities and carers will include a session on the Ringwood Transit City and the need for an accessible and safe Ringwood Station.

Ringwood Spiders victorious against the Maribyrnong Bulldogs

Published by Alex Makin on Sunday 27th of July, 2008

The Ringwood Spiders, based in Jubilee Park in Ringwood, is a football team for people with disabilities and is one of the fourteen teams that form the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) league.

Today’s game marked the final home match for the season, with the Ringwood Spiders facing the Maribyrnong Bulldogs. It was great to see some impressive football from the Spiders and their fantastic display of teamwork, leading them to a spectacular victory against their opponents.

The Ringwood Spiders played some of their best football this afternoon and it was amazing to see just how much the team had developed throughout this season. The Spiders will be playing in the first round of finals next week and I wish them well in these matches.

It is great to see the football community rallying around the Ringwood Spiders with umpires from the Eastern Football League offered to umpire the game. In addition the Ringwood Football Club has been an ongoing source of support by offering the use of club facilities at Jubilee Park for training, games and functions.

The Ringwood Football Club, known as the Ringwood Redbacks, has an impressive Ringwood based history and was formed in 1897.

Monkami - Titanic the Untold Story: Resunk

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 23rd of July, 2008

Monkami is based in Croydon and aims to provide skills for people with intellectual disabilities to empower their participants to live with the greatest degree of independence within their own community.

This evening I attended Monkami’s performance of Titanic the Untold Story: Resunk at the Karralyka Centre. The performance is the sequel to their debut stage production, Titanic the Untold Stories and featured more characters, video effects and audience props like paper Titanic hats.

Where else can such a diverse range of characters, like James Bond, Judge Judy, Ridge Forrester, Clint Eastwood, Wolverine and Caption Jack Sparrow, meet but in Titanic the Untold Story: Resunk? The performance was followed by a question and answer session, where it was explained that the actors themselves chose and developed their characters.

The plot followed the attempted capturing of the Titanic by Napoleon, only to be foiled by James Bond and sentenced in Judge Judy’s courtroom. While the drama unfolds, the Titanic crashes into the iceberg and the audience and castl sing the hokey pokey to make sure that everyone escapes!

The enthusiasm and participation from the audience was fantastic and reinforced the creativity of the performance. With such a positive reception, there is only going to be bigger things around the corner for the Monkami Drama Group!

The performance also displayed the remarkable video talents of the Ringwood Movie Makers and was also supported by the Ringwood Ballet Group and it was great to once again see other community groups supporting the performance.

For details on Monkami please visit www.monkami.org. Information on Ringwood Movie Makers is available from www.ringwoodvideo.org.au and details for Ringwood Ballet can be found at www.ringwoodballet.org.au.

The 54th Annual Ringwood Eisteddfod

Published by Alex Makin on Saturday 12th of July, 2008

This evening the Karralyka Centre hosted the 54th Annual Ringwood Eisteddfod displaying its vast array of singing and musical talent. It is amazing that Eisteddfod still continues to grow in strength after an amazing 54 years of showcasing the immense musical talent that exists within Maroondah and beyond.

The Ringwood Eisteddfod is a month long event culminating in this evening’s performance at Karralyka, where the winning contestants are recognised. I would like to congratulate all contestants for demonstrating their impressive musical talent and to the winners who no doubt have a promising musical future.

Maroondah Council celebrates NAIDOC week

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 11th of July, 2008

NAIDOC is an acronym for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’, in recognition of the initial committee that organised the week, which aims to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Indigenous Australians.

NAIDOC Week for 2008 is between the 6th and 13th of July and as part of the proceeding Maroondah City Council held a ceremony celebrating the permanent flying of the Indigenous flag at Council’s civic centres.

The celebration included Indigenous elders, the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place and local reconciliation groups, such as Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation and Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah. It was encouraging to see the mayor deliver an acknowledgement of country to officially recognise Indigenous Australians and and their connection to Maroondah.

While the Mayor did not deliver acknowledgement of country during Reconciliation Week, it was certainly good to see proper process being followed for NAIDOC week and this is a positive step forward in terms of Maroondah’s commitment to the Indigenous community.

The NAIDOC theme for this year is ‘Advance Australia Fair?’ and it is a pertinent reminder of the current health, education and wellbeing issues that affect Indigenous Australians. Maroondah is finalising its Reconciliation Policy for consideration at Monday night’s council meeting. This document will solidify Maroondah’s commitment to reconciliation and the steps we can take as a local government to ensure that we Advance Australia Fair.